Covid-19 death: Zimbagwe govt tracing people who came into contact with Zororo Makamba

HARARE – The Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe is currently tracing people who might have been in contact with the country’s prominent journalist who died of Covid-19.

On Monday, Zimbabwe recorded its first Covid-19 fatality following the death of 30-year-old TV journalist Zororo Makamba in Harare.

Zororo, the son of exiled businessman James Makamba, is one of the two people tested for coronavirus on Saturday before he tragically succumbed to the killer disease.

He was admitted to the Wilkins Hospital in Harare after exhibiting symptoms of the virus on Thursday.

According to the Health Ministry, Zororo contracted the disease while he was in New York and was in isolation at the Wilkins Hospital, Harare’s only isolation facility.

He had travelled to New York on February 29 and returned to his home in Harare on March 9 via Joburg.

The deceased began to exhibit mild symptoms (flu-like illness) on March 12, which got worse on March 19 when he consulted his doctor, who advised him to self-isolate.

Upon admission, Zororo developed severe respiratory distress and was kept in isolation under the supervision of health practitioners.

In a statement, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa confirmed the death of Zimbabwe’s first Covid-19 patient.

“I have received the news of the passing of Zororo Makamba with great shock, extreme sadness and deep sense of shock. He is a victim of the world-wide pandemic” Mutsvangwa said.

The minister warned the nation to take precautions against Covid-19 after Zimbabwe confirmed its first case of a European man in Victoria Falls last Friday.

“As we mourn him, the whole nation should take the threat of Covid-19 very seriously. Let’s all follow due medical precautions as announced by the Ministry of Health and by the World Health Organisation,” Mutsvangwa implored.